A Place Called Home
by Ushuaia1
Summary: Kenny and Max have settled into the Witness Protection Program, and are making a stab at a normal life. When the past creeps back, they are forced to confront it. Sequel to Running after Rainbows.
1. Chapter 1

Two Years Later:

It is beautiful, Max thought, they stashed us away in a beautiful place. The Murphy family. Arizona, the middle of the desert. I don't even think Em, Laura, remembers our old life.

"Honey?"

"Hey, I didn't think you'd be here until later."

"I knocked off early," Kenny said, brushing her hair back. "Thought I might surprise my wife. Where are the girls? Are we alone?"

"Homework. Napping. The usual. What are you doing?"

"Taking advantage of our busy children to grope you."

Some things never change, Max thought, feeling his hands drift to her butt. He's never been able to keep his hands off of me. "Oh?"

"Something really sexy about an apron."

Max groaned at that. "I baked cookies for Laura's classroom. Mm, that feels good."

"None of that organic, no sugar stuff? Rebel."

Max kissed him back. "You want me right here?"

**111111111111111111111111111**

"It was their case," Jimmy said.

"And you still don't think they died," Jill said. "That they faked it."

"They vanished, their children were scooped up by FBI agents. I don't think it was their idea. Max's dad put a hit on them, I think they're in witness protection somewhere. I just don't have any proof. They're legally dead and I need them to testify."

"And if you push to find them you put their lives in danger, if they really are alive."

Jimmy nodded, knowing deep down they were. "Their kids too, and I think that is probably the number one reason why they agreed to disappear. I need them to testify."

**1111111111111111111111111111 **

Max smiled to herself, as she watched her kids in the pool. Swim team for Laura and Alyssa and lessons for Caitlyn. They are fantastic, happy, we're perfectly safe.

"Sarah? I've been looking for you."

She looked up, still amazed at her three year old happily kicking across the pool in her class. "I guess I've been hiding."

"I have photo waivers. We want to post some pictures of the kids our team site."

Max felt her heart freeze up in her chest. "Website? Let me talk to Jack first, we can be a little protective of them."

"Mommy!"

"Hey, Caitie," Max smiled, as he dripping wet three year old threw herself in her lap. "Have fun, Kiddo? Cass, I'll let you know at the next practice?"

**1111111111111111111111111111 **

"I talk to Kenny's parents every week," Jimmy said. "They really believe they're out there. William put a hit on them, we never saw the bodies, the kids vanished, and they're hiding."

"For a reason, Jimmy," Jill said. "You know they wouldn't have done in lightly. If, and it's a big if, you can't pull them out of it. You need to leave them alone. It isn't worth their lives, those kids' lives, to have them testify."

**1111111111111111111111111**

A great dad, Max thought, watching him play with the girls in the yard. I do like having him around more, the girls love it, hmm, this life. Calm, almost normal, the fresh start we wanted? Not like this. Setting the food on the picnic table, she suppressed a grin at the scene in front of her.

"Mommy!" Lindsay cried, barreling into her. "Do we have to stop?"

"Picking on your dad?" Max asked, hugging her back. "Nah. Go get them, Kiddo."

"I love you, Mommy."

"Ah, I love you too, Aly. Go tackle your big sister for me."

I could cry, she thought, we're making this work. I actually like Sarah Murphy. Wife, mom, even a part time job in a bookstore. My girls on swim team, in second grade, kindergarten and pre-school, we're good together, close, the team…

"You look deep in thought," Kenny commented, as the girls clamored up to the table. "You okay?"

"Perfect," she said, as he brushed back her hair. "The girls give you a beating out there?"

"Is that what they're learning on swim team? Karate?"

"You must be getting old."

He dropped a kiss on the top of her head. "Yeah? You're not much younger, Honey. Is that gray?"

She groaned at that. "Really?"

He dropped his voice, as their girls dug in in. "Nah, you're adorable, sexy, and I want to strip you down and lick you all over."

She felt herself flush at that. "Later?"

"It's a date."

**1111111111111111111111111111 **

"I put in a formal request to the Marshall's office," Jimmy admitted.

"You don't even know if they're alive. If they are, this could get all five of them killed."

"I think they have nine lives."

**1111111111111111111111111111 **

"You know I can't resist this," Kenny smiled, looking at her wrapped in a towel and dripping wet. "Come here, Sarah."

She slicked back her wet hair. "Why don't you come and get me, Jack?"

Damn, he thought, as she dropped the towel, love this side of her. This part of our new life, without the drama, expectations, a fresh start in all sense of it, I think we've settled in here. Pulling her to him, he tossed her on the bed.

**1111111111111111111111111111 1**

Jimmy sat back, looking at the case file in front of him. How do I find them if they are in witness protection? Do I really want to put them in that danger? Their case up for debate…Media.

**1111111111111111111111111**

"Hmm," Max sighed, snuggling in closer and laying her head on his chest. "That was great."

"We've always been good at that, Sarah," he said. "Want to go again?"

"In a minute."

"You okay?"

"I'm with you, of course I am."

Home more, he thought, working nine to five in town maintenance, spending time as a family again. Reconnecting with my wife. "Right back at you."

She smiled at him through her hair. Relaxed, happy, safe, this is the perfect life. "Jack?"

"You gonna get deep on me? Can't I just enjoy you?"

"You enjoyed me all sorts of ways. No, I," she started. "Just thinking about the past, and I know we're not supposed to talk about it, and we have this new life."

"Yeah?"

"I like this life."

"We wanted a fresh start."

"We got a very fresh one."

"You want to talk about it?" he asked. "We jumped right into this, became new people…Sarah Murphy is pretty great."

She shook her head. "Do you think about what we left behind?"

"Of course I do."

"Do you miss it?"

He pressed his lips to her forehead. "You and the girls are what matters to me. If the four of you are safe, I'm good. I don't blame you for this. You and me? We're a good team, no matter what."

"This just, this life? Seems normal, calm, nothing crazy or weird. Is this how other people live? I think I like feeling normal, I can almost believe that we're a normal family that nothing bad has ever happened to us."

"Except."

"Yeah."

We embraced being the Murphy's, Kenny thought, to keep our kids safe. Maybe for our own sanity too. A fresh start. "Hey, we can talk about it, Honey."

"We thought this would be temporary, but it's been two years. Do you think this is permanent?"

**11111111111111111111111111**

"You did this?" Jill asked, watching the news story break about the Martin case. "You'll think they'll see this and want to testify."

"They need to testify, they can't just vanish," Jimmy stated, trying not to feel guilty. "They aren't dead."

**11111111111111111111111111**

"I don't know," he said. "I miss parents, my sister, all of them, of course I do. My job, our house…cannot believe it was torched like that. He can't live forever, Honey and then?"

Still looking for Caro, need me to testify against him, he wants to kill us. "Could we live like this forever? What do we tell the girls?"

"Nothing yet. Maybe not even when they're older. One day at a time has been working for us. Hey, are you okay?"

She smiled at him sadly, feeling safe and secure in his arms. "Yeah. It's hard sometimes."

"I know. You and me? We're in this together, hold onto that."

**1111111111111111111111111**

"Sheriff Brock?"

Jimmy looked up from his desk. "Can I help you?"

"Federal Marshall Mark Stanton," he said, flashing his badge. "We got your request pertaining to Kenneth and Maxine Lacos."

"So they are alive."

He laid the folder on his desk. "I reviewed their murder in Boston. William Stewart had them murdered from prison."

"Where are their kids? They were ripped from their grandparent's by FBI agents."

"Emily, Lindsay and Chloe Lacos," he said. "We're also killed by William Stewart's men. The van was intercepted. It is a tragedy, but they are not in witness protection."

"This was their case, if they are alive, I know they are, they need to testify."

"I'm sorry for your loss, Sheriff," Stanton said, standing up and having his briefcase tumble to the floor. Crouching down, he scooped the paperwork back in it. "Even if they were in the program? I wouldn't encourage them to come out and testify. People in witness protection are in there for a reason."

**1111111111111111111111111**

"This isn't real," Max said lowly, as they stared at the television. Glancing back to their cereal eating kids. "That was our case."

Kenny nodded, feeling chilled all over. "Yeah. Retried? Tainted evidence, dead arresting officers? Ah, crap."

She glanced up at him. "We can't…right?"

Kenny winced, as they flashed pictures across the scene…of us, he thought, leading Jake Martin out of the house. Big trooper hats, 14 years ago, she looks so young there. "We're not going there. This is our life, we're in this program, we're not uprooting again, and it's stable and safe for them."

Max nodded, looking back at their kids. For them, I'm not Maxine Stewart Lacos anymore, I have to be Sarah Murphy. "I should get them to school."

"I can take the day off."

"Live our lives normally, Jack."

"I'll call you, Sarah," he said, his heart aching as he looked at her. She has that look. "Hey, we're good here, right?"

She looked back at their kids before up at him. We are, in this bubble we created. "I'm not going to do something reckless."

He smiled at her, tilting her face up to his. Pressing his lips to hers, he inhaled the familiar scents. "No wrestling alligators or racing lions?"

All for my kids, she thought, never thought I'd be such a sap about this. "I promise. Go to work, I'll be fine. Better than fine."

**1111111111111111111111111111 111**

Fiore, Arizona, Jimmy thought, reading the itinerary that fell out of Stanton's briefcase. His next stop. Find them.


	2. Chapter 2

**Been really busy, wasn't sure if I wanted to continue this one or start it over. Inspiration finally struck!**

"You can't just fly to Arizona. Even if it isn't them…it could be anyone who is hiding," Jill stated. "If it is them, you can't do this to them."

"They faked their deaths, vanished. They need to come home and deal with this," Jimmy stated. "I'm going."

"I'm coming with you."

**2222222222222222222**

"Did you give them sugar?" Max asked, watching their shrieking kids run around the yard.

"I appreciate your health conscious stance on nutrition," he deadpanned. "Ah, okay, I gave them a candy bar. What? They can eat broccoli and tofu for dinner."

"I do not cook tofu."

"Whole wheat pasta then. Ah, Honey, don't look at me like that. You know you want a cookie."

She relented and smiled at him. Love of my life, she thought, no matter who we are.  
"Hmm, chocolate chip?"

"Yup. With ice cream and beer."

"Are you trying to make me fat?"

"I love you curvy, not being able to hide in a towel. Your boobs spilling out of your t-shirt."

She cocked her head to side, smiling despite herself. "Oh, I know how you like me."

He ran his fingers through her cropped and shaggy hair. Still the sexy girl next door, he thought, in those cut-offs and t-shirt, the hair is cute. "Naked?"

"Oh, we can do that later."

"We've always been good at that."

"Mom," Emily whined. "Dad. Again?"

"Ah, Laura," he said, releasing Max. "You don't like seeing your old fart parents kissing?"

**2222222222222222222222**

"There," Jimmy said, as they spied on the family in the backyard. Still making out, he thought, their kids grew up. That has to be Emily; she still looks exactly like Max. Lindsay and Chloe…what are they doing here?

"We should go," Jill said. "We can't do this to them."

"Look at them," Jimmy said. "They're having fun, like nothing is wrong."

**2222222222222222222222**

Kenny stiffened, not liking the chill that ran down his spine. "Hey, Honey? Smile, don't look panicked."

She glanced at him, forcing herself to smile at his expression. "Yes?

"Take the girls inside. Lock the doors."

She did her best to control her body language. "Come with us."

"Right behind you," he promised, as she ushered the kids into the house. "Go."

No, no, no, she thought, hoping they were being paranoid. We're safe here, everyone thinks we're dead. Kenny is just being overprotective. No, use your brain, don't be blind to it.

"You guys are being weird," Emily stated. "You get all kissy and then weird."

"Maybe I just want to kiss your mom some more," Kenny said, trying to keep it light. "Kiss her all through dinner."

"Eew!"

"Yup, I think I will," he said, as their kids ran out of the kitchen. "You know that always gets them."

"What's going on?"

"I thought I heard something," he said, glancing out the window. "See, look over there."

She glanced out the window, at the bushes. "Is there someone in there?"

"It could be nothing."

"It's never nothing with us."

He nodded. "I'm calling the local P.D. If it's anything else…call Stanton."

**2222222222222222222**

"Come on," Jimmy said, after they went inside. "They're alive."

"Those girls, Jimmy, they had to do this to keep them safe. We can't do this."

"They're going to get all of them killed."

Jill shook her head. "Do you know how crazy he drove Max when he gets overprotective? He won't let anything happen to them. We should go."

"Put your hands where I can see them."

**2222222222222222222222**

"Ah, crap, Honey," Kenny said, as they watched the Brock's being led out of the bushes in cuffs. "Crap. How did they…Crap."

She gulped. "If they found us, he could too. This only works if people think we're dead and…We have to get out of here."

"Honey."

"Don't Honey me," she said. "How did they find us? We're dead."

"We have to stop it," he said. "Can you play along? Be my doting and loving wife for a few minutes."

She nodded, numb down to her core. "What are you doing?"

"Come on," he said, gripping her hand tightly. "We need to make this go away, not make a big deal out of it, and maybe…maybe we can convince them…What?"

"What do we say to them?"

"Oh, you're never a loss for words. Don't rock the boat, Sarah."

"I'll do my best, Jack," she replied, as they made their way slowly over. Be calm, be Sarah Murphy. Feeling comforted by her fingers intertwined with his. "Still a team?"

"Always," he promised softly, feeling the Brock's watching them.

"They say they know you," Officer Henderson stated. "Although the man, James Brock, is insisting you are someone else."

Lie, Kenny thought, it's all lies. "They're old friends, and he is senile. I'm not sure what they were doing in our bushes, but they are harmless. We don't want to press charges. Right, Sarah?"

Max nodded, her mind racing at the situation. If they found us, he could too. We need to run. "Right. We weren't expecting anyone, and….we didn't mean to waste your time."

**222222222222222222222222**

"Your friends aren't pressing charges," Henderson stated. "They explained about your condition."

"My condition?"

"Jimmy," Jill started, glancing at her old friends talking quietly together. "I'll keep an eye on him. Let's go say hi."

Jimmy watched as the departing police, his wrists still aching from the cuffs. "He is still all over her."

"She's not exactly fighting him off."

"Kenny. Max," Jimmy said, as they stopped their conversation cold at their approach.

"Haven't been called that in a while," Max commented. "We should probably go inside."

"How could you two do this?"

"It wasn't exactly planned," Kenny said, not letting go of her. Call Stanton, we need to get out of here. "How did you find us?"

"That isn't important."

"It is to us. We were supposed to be dead," Kenny stated, as they looked at each other again. "We still have to be."

"Yeah," Max said. "Hey, I'm going to run in and check on the girls."

"They must be getting grown up," Jill said.

"You guys probably saw them from the bushes," she stated, turning to look at her husband. The emergency bags, she thought, pack up the essentials for the girls. They are going to remember this. Call Stanton, the only way we're safe is if we're dead. I just got used to being Sarah Murphy, I kind of liked her. "I'll be right back."

"Hold it," Jimmy said, as she stepped back at that. "You are not going anywhere."

"You can't exactly stop me," she retorted. "It's not like we won't be gone in a few hours anyway."

"You're just going to vanish again."

"To stay alive," Kenny stated at his wife's obvious nerves. "Go on, Honey."

"She seems tense," Jill said carefully. "Kenny, how are you two? Emily, Lindsay, Chloe?"

"We're fine," he lied, thinking of the life that had built together. The Murphy's life, the lie we fed our kids, they were too young to really understand. "At least we were. How did you find us?"

"I put in a request to the Marshall's office. Stanton came, denied that you were in the program and dropped some papers with you information on his way out."

That's the guy who is supposed to keep my wife and kids safe, Kenny thought, he could of…Sarah is calling him now. Sarah…I've been thinking of her as Sarah. "That's great of him. Come inside. The girls are Laura, Alyssa and Caitie now, if you see them."

**2222222222222222222222**

"Mom?"

"Hey, there, Kiddo," Max said, joining them on the floor. "What are you three making here?"

"Mom?" Emily asked again. "Are those people here because we're not going to play pretend anymore?"

Max felt her blood run cold at that. Looking at Lindsay and Chloe coloring happily, she beckoned her oldest out of the room. Pretend, we told her it was a game. I thought she forgot, she hasn't… "What are you talking about?"

"Mom," Emily stated, sounding much more grown up than seven. "What you and Dad said when we moved here. That we were going to pretend to be new people, that it was a game of hide and seek with Grandma and Grandpa. We're winning right? I'm tired of playing, I want to go home again."

Max gulped, crouching down to her level. "Do you remember where you lived before?"

"By the lake. Is Nate playing too?"

Swallowing back her tears, my clone, she thought, of course she wouldn't forget. "Did you tell anyone this? At school? Your sisters? Anyone, Laura?"

"Mom," she sighed. "No, I want to win the game."

"Do you remember your name?"

Emily looked at her like she was stupid. "Emily Amanda Lacos."


	3. Chapter 3

"Max," Jimmy said, as she finally joined them.

She glanced at Kenny, trying to get a read off of him. I have to tell him. "You think I was going out the window?"

"I wouldn't put it past you."

She joined Kenny on the couch, the tension in the room singing around them. "There are cacti down there."

"You think this is funny?" Jimmy asked, watching the way that Kenny wrapped his arm around her and kept her close to him. "You really like playing house, don't you, Max?"

"Will you stop attacking my life choices?"

"You're in the Witness Protection Program!"

"Oh, I know," she retorted, feeling Kenny squeeze her tighter. We're in this together; we have to make them understand. "We were okay here."

The Murphy's, Kenny thought, we let ourselves be them. I was thinking of her as Sarah, I yell it out in bed... Community gardening, book club, swim mom, PTA, things that Max wouldn't ever do. Even in embracing being a wife and mom, she still had an edge. Max. God, I miss Max. "The Murphy's were."

"I kind of liked Sarah."

"She made good pie. What?"

She glanced over at the Brocks, before turning back to her husband. "We need to talk. Alone."

"Never subtle," Kenny said, not taking his eyes off of her. "Excuse us."

"You're not going anywhere," Jimmy stated, as they stood up.

"Our kids are upstairs. We're not leaving," Max said.

"Come on, Honey," Kenny said, seeing her obvious nerves and practically dragging her out of there. "Sarah…Max. Shit, are you okay?"

Quickly and quietly she told him about Emily and her quick call to Stanton. How the Brocks were going to be detained, that they were going to vanish into new identities, start again.

"Laura, Em," Kenny started. "She's always been you. Of course she…she played along with us. She's seven, she's going to know for sure and…Lindz is…"

"They'll remember this."

"I don't want them to be afraid."

"Your maternal side is showing. What are you thinking?"

Max just looked at him for a long moment. "He wants me dead, we know that. He also wants the money Caro stole…what if we find that instead?"

"Not a chance in hell."

**333333333333333333333**

"They're scared, Jimmy," Jill said. "We don't know what they've gone through."

"Scared? They took off. They let everyone think they were dead."

"They are in the witness protection program. Max's dad wants to kill them."

"Hi," Jill said softly, looking at the two girls peering into the living room. Lindsay, and oh, that has to be Chloe. "Your mom and dad are in the kitchen."

"Are they kissing?" Lindsay asked. "Laura hates it when they kiss."

Jill smiled at that. "No, they're just talking. How old are you?"

"Five. A whole hand," Lindsay stated. "Caitie is only three. She's still a baby."

Look at all that hair, Jill thought, just like their mom. They did have beautiful kids together. They did this for them. "Where is your other sister?"

"Being weird. She gets weird like mommy and daddy do."

"How are they weird?" Jimmy asked.

Lindsay giggled. "They don't like pictures. Mommy said we're too pretty to be in a picture."

**333333333333333333333333**

"But."

"No buts. Wipe that scowl off your face."

I'm a terrible wife, she thought, I fight him on everything, I've tried so hard to be who he wants. I ruined his life. He should of married that sweet, docile, girl next door, who would give him the easy and simple life he wanted. Instead he has me, the one woman wrecking ball. How can he still look at me like that?

"Max?"

She looked up at him. "You haven't called me that in two years."

"What you want to do is pure, vintage, 25 year old, Max."

"It could work."

"You could also end up dead in a morgue, with your Dad knowing we're all alive, and coming gunning for the rest of us," he said bluntly, as she flinched. "I need you, the girls need you, we'll be okay."

"You sound so sure."

"If it was just you and me?" he said. "You could talk me into it, Honey. We have three kiddos upstairs who need both of us. He thinks we're dead, and that's what keeps us safe. Look at me, we need to get it together here."

She nodded, hating that he was right and how his gentle touch was making her feel worse. He deserves a life without this.

"Honey?" he pressed, not liking the look in her eyes.

I ruined our life, she thought again, I need to fix this, even if he hates me in the end. I can't tell him, smile, tell him what he wants to hear. "I'm here. We should pack."

He hugged her tightly again, as the doorbell rang. "I got it. Go pack."

**3333333333333333333333333333 33333**

"You can't just make them vanish again," Jimmy said.

"You shouldn't of come here," Stanton said. "I shouldn't of dropped that paper. They are in this program because they will be killed if they're not."

"Jimmy," Jill said softly. "We should let them be."

**3333333333333333333333333333 3**

"I don't want to play anymore," Emily stated. "I want to go home."

"I know," Max said. So do I. "We need you to be brave about this, and not scare your sisters. We have to go, and start over again."

"Why?"

She sat down next to their oldest daughter. My clone, the one that is going to give Kenny a coronary. "Listen, there are some people back home who aren't very nice. We need to stay away from them, even if it means never going back. I don't like it, neither does your dad, but we have to."

"Why don't they like us?"

Because of me. The black sheep. I have to do this for them, I need to give them a better life. "Sometimes there isn't a reason, Kiddo."

"I can take care of my sisters."

Oh, I love her, she is such a little person now. How can I do this to her, she is already traumatized for life. "I know you can. Come on, let's go pick out some toys."

"Are you and Dad going to kiss there?"

Max smiled despite herself. "All the time."

"It's gross."

"Remember that in 10 years," she sighed, as she looked back over at her younger two. The best things that Kenny and I ever did. Freezing as the shots rang out downstairs. No, no, no…Looking back at her girls. "You three, get in the closet, do not make a sound, do not open the door for anyone but me or your dad. Am I clear?"

"Mom?"

"Do it," she said, practically shoving them in and shutting the door. Grabbing the gun they kept I the dresser, she clicked the safety off. Forcing herself to focus, she crept down the hallway, listened to the footsteps coming up the stairs. Ducking into the bathroom, she leveled the gun.

TBC


End file.
